The Skylark's Other Half
by JirachiOfElephantsandWhales
Summary: Waking up and suddenly discovering you're the wife of your dreaded nemesis is one thing. Finding out that he loves you is another. And have I mentioned how I have to fool him, and keep up the charade, pretending that nothing is wrong? Yes, him, one of the cleverest men in Vongola? TYL Hibari. HibariOC. Warnings, M-rated. Check profile for story's status.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

Hibari was after me again.

Fear can really make a person numb, I swear. Your insides feel frozen, and suddenly you just don't feel anything down there anymore. All you can think is: Oh, Holy Jesus, please protect little old me from the demon.

And yes, that man was a demon. An attractive demon, I would admit, but still a demon.

I still remembered my first day when I had arrived at Namimori High as the new transfer student. I hadn't been expecting much; I was just a really mediocre girl, and I believed I had gone to a just as mediocre school.

My father had been a musician and I suppose I got my musical talents from him, but a fat lot of help that was. My family was outrageously poor, but that never really mattered much to me. The only thing that made me a little uncomfortable was the kind of comments people made about me back in my previous school.

But I had my father, and to me he was everything. So when he announced that we were moving to Namimori, I didn't really care. As long as I was with him, my best friend and my only family, all was well.

Hellooo, my name is Ninomiya Misaki, but little did I know that my surname was going to change very, very soon.

So, on that day, I had stepped into the vast, white brick building, thinking, _What a quaint school this is._

The sun shone down brightly, and I sighed, enjoying the awesome bright rays of light and happily basked in it.

I looked up, my brown eyes misting over as a yellow, tiny fluffed up canary whizzed past. It's cute little form vanished soon after as it flew over the rooftop of the school. I noticed a slender finger reach out from somewhere in the rooftop, and the bird flew towards it, before both vanished altogether.

That was my first time seeing Hibari. His finger, anyway.

Afterwards, I had sauntered into the hallway of the school, glancing disinterestedly at the corridors which stretched out invitingly. Not.

I don't really like school.

I smiled at an orange-haired girl who had waved amiably at me, seeing I was new. What a friendly person. I watched as she bounced off, and to my amusement, didn't fail to note the appreciative sighs of schoolboys around her.

A high-pitched shriek blasted suddenly, and I savored my last moments with my eardrums. It had been a good fifteen years with them.

A brown-haired boy stumbled into view, clutching his schoolbag as if it was his lifeline. His hazel eyes were wide with terror, as if the Grim Reaper had come to collect his soul.

It wasn't long before I realized he wasn't that lucky.

Other students who had been lounging about in the corridors chatting suddenly ceased talking and they fled, the soles of their shoes pressing the polished floor with a terrified frenzy.

_Whoa. _

Another boy soon came into view.

He was tall, taller than the brown-haired boy anyway, but what marked him as different was the fact that a long, black coat whipped from behind him, and that a red armband labeled _Namimori Middle Disciplinary Committee _circled a lean arm. Did I mention those arms also held tonfas at the ready? Tonfas which glittered menacingly from beneath the electric lights above.

He had thick, slightly messy black hair with bangs that hung over a pair of narrow, intense, surprisingly cobalt blue eyes, framed by thick eyelashes. His features were sharp, not just his eyes. His complexion was so very pale, with ivory skin that gleamed smoothly.

I couldn't believe it. Who knew discipline was so strict here? Those tonfas looked real alright; they sure they didn't look like props from some play. One thing for sure, they weren't made of Styrofoam.

"Hibari-san!" The boy cried, his arms flaying helplessly. "I'm sorry I was late! Look, I'll do detention! I'll …do extra cleaning duties! Just please don't bite me to death!" I raised my eyebrows.

The other boy called Hibari strode forward, undeterred by his prey. His eyes were so narrow and dangerous that I felt a pang of fear.

Okay, I'm a nice girl. I could tell the boy was going to be beat up real bad. I'm not unfamiliar with delinquents, but the ones I know are all filled with verbal abuse. This guy here was pretty silent.

But more dangerous.

But hey, there's a dude in distress and sometimes damsels need to take up shining armors too. I'm not going to lie; I'm a very small girl. I have auburn hair cut short and I'm extremely skinny. I'm not busty. I'm not buff.

There's not much help I can do physically, but…. All the delinquents I know, they share one thing in common.

I reached out for my schoolbag which was slung over my shoulder, and pulled out a rolled up newspaper I had bought this morning. On the cover of the newspaper was a picture of the famous model Mirai. A really big picture. With her in a bikini in all her busty glory.

She lay draped over a couch before the camera, and I was having a really hard time myself trying not to gawk at her voluptuous figure, her bra –more like a long string of cloth with two tiny patches of fabric where it just covered her nipples- straining and her tiny waist jutting out seductively.

I am really too good.

"Hey, Mr Disciplinarian!" I hollered. The prefect abruptly stopped in his tracks, his back facing me, and the boy very, very slowly turned around. The brown-haired boy gawked.

So I was a little freaked.

The slits of steely blue held me in their grasp. "Did you just interrupt me?" His voice was a deep baritone, and I could tell this was the tone of a person who was not happy.

I gulped.

"Look here!" I waved the newspaper wildly at him, making sure the cover was exposed. "If you like her," I grinned confidently, "I can lend you my whole collection of Mirai's photos. Just leave the poor kid alone." I winked at him. "No one needs to know about this... exchange."

Oh, Mirai was hot. My dad, who remained faithful to my late mother's memory to this very day, still had nosebleeds upon looking at Mirai's photos. I could see the brown-haired boy nosebleeding already.

The Mirai tactic, as I proudly name it, had always been a huge success. My loaning her photo collection to bullies and delinquents kept me relatively safe from them. We had a deal; more Mirai porn, less bruises for me.

The reason I had her photo collection? My father worked as her private viola instructor.

I continued grinning at the prefect before me, thinking, _another bully down_.

The boy narrowed his eyes at the photo, before looking lazily up at me once more.

"You didn't answer my question," he drawled, sounding almost bored. I didn't miss the ominous undertones however. "Did you just interrupt me?"

I admit it. I gaped. I gasped. I gawked. This was the first time the Mirai tactic didn't work!

I chewed on my lip. I had no plan B. I had been too confident about the Mirai tactic. Life sucked.

"Maybe…?" I offered weakly, sending him what I hoped was a winning smile. The brown-haired kid seemed to have recovered from his nosebleed, and he visibly swallowed as the angry, dark auras began to roll off Hibari.

Okay, my plan B which had been made up on the spot aka winning smile hadn't worked.

I cursed my saintly heart. There was a reason why damsels did not go near shining armors. And now, a few minutes before my deathbed, I had figured it out.

Brilliant.

The prefect took a step nearer to me. "For disrupting discipline, I will bite you to death."

The brown-haired boy trembled. My body shook. The cannibal didn't mean it right? He wasn't going to eat me… right?

"I'm not yummy," I cried, dropping the newspaper onto the floor. It fell onto the tiles with a flutter, Mirai smiling sultrily from below the headlines. "I'm really bony. No fats. You won't have fun eating me, I swear."

The teen raised his dark, elegant eyebrows, but didn't react. He merely continued moving forward with terrifying grace, his tonfas raised menacingly.

"Hibari-san!" the previous victim suddenly shouted, his voice slightly shaking with fear. The kid looked desperate, but the guilty look on his pale face was undeniable. "Don't hurt her! She was only trying to help me!"

Hibari paid him no heed. "I will bite you to death later, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Wait your turn."

Tsunayoshi "Hiiii"ed.

I was going to die, I realized. Place of death: Hibari's teeth.

Which were rather nice, I noticed. They were straight and white and sparkly.

So sue me. I was going to die, and I think I at least deserve my last time to check a hot guy out. Even if it was thanks to him I died.

Oh, Father, I prayed. I love you.

"JUIDAIMEEEEE!" A male voice shrieked passionately, followed by a cheerful one, "Tsuna! You okay?"

I glanced up, grateful for the distraction, and my eyebrows raised when I caught sight of two boys making their way over, along with an infant sauntering along.

Yes. An infant, who was wearing a fedora and a miniature suit, with a bright green chameleon perched snugly on the top of his fedora.

I freaked out. Not because he was a baby who was walking around and dressed like a tiny businessman. Well, partly.

"Reborn?" I shrieked. I kicked the newspaper aside, and gasped at the infant who smirked up at me. Even when he barely reached my ankles that twerp could still pull off a condescending look. "Why are you in Namimori?"

Tsuna gasped, his brown spikes waving vigorously. The other two boys stared at me, before a silver haired one reached over and held Tsuna's shoulders in concern, still screaming, "JUIDAIMEEEE!" "You know Reborn!?"

"Sure I do!" I shouted, feeling so confused. Realization didn't take long to greet me when I looked at a pair of mittens sticking messily out of Tsuna's pocket. "Don't tell me… he's the new student you've been writing to me about! And in Namimori, no less!"

A sudden swoosh of cold wind sprung on my shoulder, before freezing metal slammed into my back. I gasped as I rolled off balance, my legs tumbling. Pain stung my flesh as I fell heavily on the hard floor, my schoolbag spinning off my shoulder.

"Your punishment is not complete, herbivore," a cold voice announced. I peered up into Hibari's steely sapphire blue eyes, which were flashing dangerously.

How could I have forgotten about him?

"Hibari." Reborn's high pitched voice suddenly spoke.

HIbari's head turned towards Reborn, one tonfa still raised over me.

"Leave this one alone for now," Reborn said, stroking a side-whisker. "I will punish her myself."

I glared at him.

Hibari's eyebrow arched. "Why should I?"

"I'll fight you one day if you want," Reborn drawled, a clever smile on his round, cherubic face.

To my surprise, Hibari's perfect face broke into a savage smirk. "You had better keep your promise, infant."

With that, the prefect withdrew his tonfas smoothly, sent me one last searching look, before striding off regally, his long dark coat billowing behind him.

Reborn looked at me. "Misaki. Expresso. Wallet."

I groaned.

_Lalala~_

Days passed. Weeks passed. I got to know everybody, or more importantly, the new generation of the Vongola family.

I wasn't going to lie and say Reborn had chosen everyone perfectly.

With a wimpy boss who screamed like a girl, a silver-haired bomber who threatened to kill any student for plotting to kill Tsuna whenever they glanced at the young boss, a baseball fanatic who seemed oblivious to danger, a boxer who took things to extremes -and said it too- plus a guy whose body was swimming in jail, and a baby who dripped snot more than he ate candy. Barely.

Not to mention a raven demon whose life's mission was to get me to sing the School Anthem and torture me.

I'm not kidding. Ever since the day I joined the choir and he heard me sing during the auditions -apparently he appeared in every school club's audition as one of the judges, although the other judges had to listen to him when his majesty made his royal decision- he had ordered me to memorize the School Anthem.

And then sing it to him.

What the fuck?!

And I couldn't refuse, one because he was The Hibari, two because I still owed him a punishment.

For what, I didn't know. Trying to stop him from beating up Tsuna and flashing him a hot model?

Not to mention Reborn told me I owed Hibari.

And Reborn is the second guy in my life aside from Hibari that I had to OBEY.

I think Tsuna would understand.

My gosh, I felt sorry for the guy. I knew exactly how he felt.

Dino had felt the exact same thing.

Thinking of Dino easily sent blood rushing through my cheeks. I hadn't seen him for so long.

My father had been his Viola instructor as well back then, around the same time when Reborn was his tutor.

I had lived with them in Dino's mansion before promptly striking up a relationship with him.

We had still one now, only we needed to sustain a long distance relationship due to my father's constant travelling.

Dino was very important to me. He was a good friend and lover, but I hadn't seen him for over a year and had begun to grow distant from him. Not to mention he wrote me no letters, much to my bitter disappointment. I knew he was busy travelling the world too for his Family duties, so I hadn't written him anything.

Not that I hadn't tried.

Once again, my father had become the only steady and constant companion I had.

''Herbivore. Are you paying attention?''

I froze. Hibari stood before me, eyes narrowed, and his raven hair like a dark halo above his head. A canary danced around his lean shoulder.

Did I mention how shocked I am that he owns the bird I saw on my first day of school?

Who knew demons had pets? And judging by the bird's adoring black eyes as it peered at Hibari, demons could be loved too.

''What are you doing here?'' I demanded, standing up from my chair in the Choir room. I should have noticed how the other Choir members had scrambled for safety in the other side of the room.

Traitors.

''Making sure you have rehearsed for the Namimori Anthem,'' Hibari said smoothly. He eyed me shrewdly. ''Judging from the fact that you were staring into space and frowning to yourself, I suppose you haven't.''

I gulped. ''I got the whole thing memorized. I just need time to get the notes right.''

Hibari looked unamused. His canary hopped about at what I suspected to be entertainment, however. ''Ho?" He tilted his head. "Then can you please recite to me the lyrics? You don't have to sing them.''

He had me. Of course I hadn't memorized the lyrics; Dino was constantly cropping up in my thoughts recently.

''Everybody in Namimori must at least have the lyrics of the Anthem memorized,'' Hibari stated, his cobalt eyes narrowing as he easily caught onto my silent answer. ''I'll have to bite you to death.''

NOOO!

And here I am, back to the start of the story.

I ran on, panting wildly as my legs rumbled over rocks and grassy patches of the school garden.

He was right behind me, just as fast, but without a single trace of breathlessness.

The silence behind me made things scarier and more unnerving, but I knew he was still chasing me because I kept looking back, and his tall form loomed behind me, tonfas in hands.

I couldn't take it anymore.

I screamed, ''Dino!'', closing my eyes in terror, before abruptly tripping over a rock and falling over, my heart pumping in fear.

My forehead hit the hard concrete with a forceful _bump_ and agony pierced my head. Pain flared in my skull.

Everything went black.

_Lalala~_

My vision was a horrid blur.

I groaned, my scratchy voice catching at my parched throat. A throbbing pain pulsed in my forehead and I felt slightly nauseous.

''Misaki! Misaki!'' A familiar voice cried.

I cracked an eye wider only to peer into a green eye. Dark unruly bangs shrouded the other eye.

Adult Lambo?

Did the time bazooka strike again? I had only seen Adult Lambo once in school after an accident.

Suddenly I remembered my situation and I jolted upright, both eyes widening. I realised I was propped against a tree and leaves fluttered past my vision. Grass rustled from around me. A cool breeze drifted across my head, soothing the pain.

Where was Hibari?

Lambo was busy mumbling about how ''Hibari would kill him'' or something like that. I peered dazedly at him.

Adult Lambo looked a lot... cooler than his younger self.

There was a necklace around his thin, slender neck, and he wore a dark jacket over his shirt. I could easily make out the muscles that rippled from beneath the unbuttoned shirt.

''My, my.'' My head jerked up at the sound of the new voice and blanched at the sight of Shamal as he stalked into view.

''Hey now,'' he chuckled, rubbing his stubble. His eyes twinkled flirtatiously as they roved my form. ''I'm here to help. No need to look so horrified.''

The breeze blew again, and my hair lifted, billowing behind me.

Wait. What?

I didn't have long hair. My hair was cut SHORT.

There was a lake nearby, and I stumbled to my feet, ignoring the sudden pang of pain in my head and also Lambo's cries for me to be more careful.

Twigs crunched as I made my way to the shimmering water by the bank of the park.

I looked in.

A woman in her mid-twenties peered back from the surface of the water. She had thick, long auburn hair that reached her waist, and a pair of huge pretty hazel eyes. She was small and petite, with elfin features and pale skin. She was dressed in a long white dress, fastened with a black belt. There was an unruly bruise on her white forehead.

She was also me.

I gaped. Why had I grown old? I didn't comprehend.

OK. So if the time bazooka had struck me and sent me ten years into the future, why had I grown old with it? I was supposed to switch places with my ten years later self.

I glanced at Shamal. No doubt about it. There was grey in his dark hair and also crow's feet around his eyes. He was older.

The man winked at me when he caught me staring, and I hastily looked away.

I wasn't in the school garden anymore too. I was in some park which I recognised as the Namimori Park.

I stared in horror at my surroundings, my mouth slightly open.

Lambo looked frantic again. ''Are you okay, Misaki? Misaki? Dr Shamal, I really think the fall did something to her. Misaki?!''

I continued staring in a daze.

''Misaki? _Misaki! Hibari Misaki!_''

That got my attention. Not the increased volume of his voice, but what he said.

''What did you call me?'' I gasped.

It was then when I noted a weight on my middle finger for the first time.

A beautiful sapphire of cobalt blue winked at me from my finger.

**Tell me what you guys think? It doesn't have to be a long review or anything. A short opinion would send me over the moon, even if its comments like, "This story isn't that awful". **

**Please?**


	2. Chapter 2

I had to admit, I lost it.

Don't blame me, I beg of you. It's one thing to be stuck in the future and to have grown old along with it. But it's completely another thing when you find yourself with a ring that looks suspiciously like…

"Can you tell me why I'm wearing something that looks like a _wedding ring_?!" I demanded angrily, shaking my hand wildly into Lambo's face, which had paled immediately at my words. "_And what did you call me?"_

"Because it is?" Lambo replied politely albeit fearfully to my first question. I realized that terror had presented itself in his moss green eye, and he was shaking slightly. "Oh no. Oh no." He whispered abruptly.

I would recognize that terror anywhere. I had felt that feeling tons of times in Namimori, along with almost the school population. Except for Hibari, of course.

Since he was the one causing the terror.

"Oh yes," Shamal countered grimly, more serious than I had ever seen him. His dark eyes narrowed as he reached out a huge, hairy hand and touched my bruise gently. I flinched, my forehead backing away. "You may have landed yourself into deep trouble this time, young Lambo."

I was slightly more concerned about the wedding ring than about what Shamal was talking.

"What do you mean I'm wearing a wedding ring?" I screamed, so violently that my auburn locks fell onto my face. Locks of hair that were not supposed to be long enough to touch anywhere but the back of my neck. "I'm not freaking married! And holy mother of Christ, why am I _old_? I'm only fifteen!"

Lambo's skin was paper white by now, his mouth dropped open, and he looked close to tears. This was an expression I hardly saw on baby Lambo, since he was mostly already in tears by then.

Shamal seemed to take things more calmly, however. He suddenly pulled my arm and gestured at me to sit down, his boots clearing the grassy ground of twigs nearby.

I didn't go too willingly though, being near hysterical. I tugged wildly away from him, away from the impossibility of my situation, but then I glanced at my surroundings and realized the futility of it all.

It didn't matter even if I ran away from Shamal. I was still stuck in this era.

So I let him guide me to a spot in the grassy area and he helped me down, and I instinctively brushed out the crinkles in my dress before lowering myself.

Don't ask me why. That dress looked expensive, is all. With my kind of financial background I could hardly afford decent clothes.

"Does she have a concussion?" Lambo nearly sobbed, his hands trembling. "I'm going to be bitten to death!"

I was going to ask him what he was talking about when Shamal spoke, his dark eyes fastened on me. "Misaki-san," he began cordially, his voice even but solemn. The middle-aged man crouched before me, his arms resting on his knees. "If you want to understand what is going on right now, I highly recommend you calm down, my dear."

I took a deep breath, forcing myself not to hyperventilate. "Okay."

Shamal smiled slightly, his hand lightly prodding my bruised forehead, his gaze clinical for once. "Who's the president of USA?" He questioned.

"Barack Obama?" I glared at him. Did he think I was dumb?

"What's the capital of Japan?"

"Tokyo?"

Shamal finally nodded, looking satisfied as he pulled his fingers away from my bruise. I eyed him nervously as he began speaking, his tone serious. "I'm going to be blunt about this, alright? The point is, you may be suffering from amnesia, Misaki-san." Lambo's long legs seemed to give away, and he clutched at the strands of grass numbly.

I glared at Shamal indignantly, ignoring Lambo's theatrics. "Hey! I remember my name and all, unlike those people from the movies."

"I didn't say you lost _all _your memories," Shamal corrected. He glanced in mild amusement at Lambo, but did not comment about the young teen. "You may have lost worth ten years of memories, Misaki."

_Lalala~_

There was a long silence, penetrated only by the sounds of the breeze rustling the swaying branches of the trees, and the grass whistling.

Then I spoke. "That can't be. I was hit by the Ten Year Bazooka."

Shamal shook his head. "Look at yourself, Misaki, do you look fifteen? There was no smoke emitted from the Bazooka too, if it was used. And think about this," he leaned forward to me, and I could smell the stench of cigarettes in his breath. If it had been another time I would have lectured him that as a doctor, he had some nerve to smoke, but not now. "How long has it been since you woke up?"

My heart nearly froze right there.

Because he was right, much to my horror.

Definitely more than five minutes had passed since I was in this era.

I clung onto the most rational idea I had. "The Bazooka must have malfunctioned," I said shakily. "It happens sometime-"

Shamal's large hands grabbed my tiny shoulders and shook me angrily. "Stop lying to yourself, Misaki-san! How do you explain your appearance right now then? I will tell you what happened. You were taking a walk with Lambo-san, when he accidentally stumbled and fell, pulling you down with him. You ended up being knocked unconscious, and hit your forehead. Lambo-san then called me here."

My eyes widened. "No, I hit my forehead when Hibari was chasing after me."

Shamal peered down at me kindly, some pity in his eyes, and he nodded. "Naturally, your brain adjusted your memories from the past when you received the blow to your skull. But I don't believe your memory loss is incurable. With time and some decent rest, you may be able to recover your memories soon enough."

I was going to argue further. Can you blame me? It was hard to swallow this; to be normal one day and then suddenly be thrown into a similar yet at the same time different world only to realize I was possibly part of it all along.

But then it occurred to me; it didn't matter whether Shamal was right or wrong. Not that much anyway. What _did_ matter was that I _was_ stuck in this era, and I could either choose to play along with them or run around confused and bewildered.

"Give me one reason," I said quietly, gazing up at Shamal. My fingers tightened. "One reason to believe you."

Shamal raised his eyebrows. "I don't think I need to," he answered, moving away from me. "You know enough, Misaki-san. It isn't the lack of reasons that's stopping you from believing me right now."

I sighed, because I knew the pervert was right. Yet somehow I cursed Reborn and Namimori. I was, for some reason, convinced that if I had never gone to Namimori none of this mess would had happened. How the hell was I going to deal with this- something I wasn't even sure was real or not?

I glanced at Lambo. The poor teen still looked pale and frightened to the core, and I felt a surge of sympathy for him despite my situation.

The boy started and his head jerked up as my hand touched his shoulder. He stared at me with a wide green eye as if I was the Boogey monster, his curly dark mass of hair disheveled.

"What's wrong?" I asked gently. "You're looking out of sorts. Shouldn't that be _my_ face right now?"

Lambo gave me a haunted look. I chuckled inwardly. He really hadn't grown that much from his baby self. Not much braver, anyway.

''It was me,'' Lambo choked out, spitting out the words as if they were poison. His lips twisted nervously. ''I was the one who pulled you down and caused you to hit your head and lose your memories.''

I was still a little annoyed about the ''lose your memories'' thing. It suggested as if I wasn't entirely lucid and also that others knew a lot more than I did about myself, but I figured now wasn't the time to yell at Lambo about it.

''It's okay,'' I told him, smiling at him kindly. The poor dude was guilty enough as it is. ''I'm not blaming you for anything. So stop looking like-''

_Like what Tsuna looked like when Hibari was hunting him on my first day of school_, was what I wanted to say, but I decided against it.

''Like I'm going to kill you,'' I finished, patting his bouncy curls.

I don't know what I worked as in the future, but I definitely wasn't a counsellor. Or a very good one, anyway. Lambo's complexion had whitened even further, and the terror in his face deepened drastically. Big, fat tears had formed in the sides of his only visible eye and his lip trembled.

''Must... Not... Cry...'' he hissed, his lip still wobbling dangerously.

Uh oh. A tearstorm normally followed those words.

Shamal chuckled. ''It's not you he's scared of being killed by, Misaki-san.''

I glared at Shamal. ''You leave the poor child alone, you filthy old man!''

The lewd doctor looked offended. ''Hey, I'm not the one who's going to attack him later. Ask your husband.''

Lambo suddenly bawled.

It would've been funny, seeing a teenage boy wailing his heart out in a park on a sunny day, if it weren't for Shamal's words.

''What did you say?'' I demanded, over the deafening din of Lambo's sobs. Man, that teen could still cry like a baby. ''What husband?''

Shamal grinned before jabbing a long finger at my hand. ''Forgotten about your ring?''

I swallowed. Funnily enough, I had. It was as if my mind had sub-consciously wanted to forget it.

''Is my husband in this time Dino?'' I jumped to my feet, my eyes twinkling and I grinned at Shamal exuberantly, ignoring the sudden pulse of pain in my forehead. Maybe my situation wasn't so bad anymore. The thought sent an exhilarating jolt through my body, and I ignored how the sky blue of the sapphire on my ring seemed to remind me of someone else...

Shamal looked amused. ''Sorry to break your heart, but he isn't.''

My world, which I wasn't even sure whether it was my world anymore, seemed to crash around me. My grin faded.

I had married someone else that wasn't Dino? Was I insane?

_Was Dino okay with this?_

''I was forced into marrying this other guy, wasn't I?'' I demanded coldly, glaring at my ''wedding" ring. The cobalt blue seemed to twinkle at me mockingly. How could I have afforded a sapphire anyway? A _diamond?_ Seriously? Me?

''Well,'' Shamal replied casually, looking at Lambo whose sobs had finally quietened, having run abruptly out of fuel. ''Just so you know, you were kissing him in front of all of us on your wedding day two years ago and also laughing. And you were consulting me last week about possibly wanting a baby.''

I nearly passed out. Okay. This was more than a girl could take. Honestly? My father always said that I was too much of a baby myself despite my fifteen years. And my future self had freaking wanted one? With a man that wasn't Dino?

''Okay,'' I said, shaking my head and swiping a flying leaf away. Shamal looked at me, an entertained expression on his unshaven face, while Lambo gave a final sniff. ''Now I get why I lost my memories. Apparently I was brainwashed in this time into marrying some dude, so now God took pity on me and gave me a second chance to fight for a future with Dino. Speaking of which, who is this random second guy anyway?''

The doctor smiled sweetly at me, almost as if he was savouring the moment. His sugary smile was for some reason more disturbing than his usual lecherous grin.

''Hibari Kyoya.''

_Lalala~_

I laughed.

I mean yeah, Shamal might be perverted and a little crazy, but my God was he hilarious.

The other two watched me howl with laughter as I clutched at a tree branch, the rough wood rubbing against my skin as I continued laughing. Birds flew away hastily at the sound of my maniacal laughter.

Lambo's eye was wide, having completely forgotten about his own crying fit earlier on. ''Dr Shamal, are you sure she wasn't knocked on the head too hard?''

''That's just normal Misaki for you, Lambo,'' Shamal replied conversationally.

I wiped some tears away, my sides feeling weak from all the laughter. ''Can you dig this guy, Lambo?''

Lambo's eyebrow rose. ''I don't quite understand...''

''Didn't you get his joke?'' I inquired patiently, although an occasional giggle escaped my lips. ''He said I was married to Hibari!''

Lambo frowned. ''And that's a joke... how?''

I took in Lambo's serious yet puzzled face, Shamal's amused one, and recalled how Lambo had been so frightened.

And also what the young teen had called me earlier on.

My laughter ceased abruptly.

''This is a dream, right?'' I spoke slowly, my voice heavy. ''I can take being stuck in the future and possibly being an amnesiac, but having to be... the _personal slave_ of Hibari Kyoya is another thing.''

''Personal slave?'' Lambo stared at me quizzically. ''No, you're his wife.'' He scratched at his unruly hair, and his face suddenly broke into a terrified expression once more. ''And I'm going to be bitten to death for what I did to you!''

''More like he'll thank you,'' I snapped. ''Saves him the trouble of smashing me up.''

I paced the ground like a madman, my flats brushing against fallen leaves and twigs. This was a dream. It had to be. I would wake up soon, from this nightmare. I had to calm down.

''Come on,'' Shamal chimed in sharply, eyes narrowed. ''We'll bring you home. You should go home and rest. Don't think too much for now.''

I wanted to shriek at him for telling me not to think too much, of all things. My future self was suffering! I was a... victim! Why was it that nobody had rescued me from Hibari?

Didn't anyone care? Didn't Dino care? How about my father?

A sob nearly drove itself from my throat.

This time, ironically, it was Lambo who patted my shoulder. He shot me a sympathetic look.

''Don't worry,'' he said placidly, guiding me as I followed the two men out of the park. Our shoes trod noisily on the concrete path curving along the surrounding grassy area. ''Everything will be okay.'' His lip trembled again. ''For you anyway. Hibari won't let me off once he knows I made you lose your memories.''

I stared up at the adult version of Lambo. ''I highly doubt Hibari would care. But if you want, he doesn't have to know you did it. At least, that's what you guys think anyway.''

I don't intend to go near Hibari if I can help it. No way, I don't care if I'm his wife/slave or mother. I like being not bitten to death.

Lambo took a sharp intake of breath and he suddenly looked hopeful. Damn me and my soft spot for kids. Well, Lambo wasn't one anymore, not with that wicked build beneath his clothes, but you know what I mean.

''You'd do that for me? '' He asked, his one eye huge.

Yes, Lambo, I thought dully. I'd do that for you even though you guys left me to rot with Hibari by letting me marry him.

In this bad dream anyway, which I would wake up from soon. I hope.

''I suppose so, yes,'' I replied, giving him a watery smile. I was suddenly feeling pretty tired, what with all the craziness suddenly going on with my life. And this is coming from a girl who knows Reborn.

I followed them to where a shining black Mercedes was parked by the pavement. Its hood shone brightly in the bright sun, and I could vaguely make out leather seats from inside the lightly tinted windows.

''Nice car,'' I commented, successfully distracted by the elegant vehicle.

Shamal beamed. ''She's my baby,'' he crooned, the lecherous look back in his face. I noticed a glint on his finger and realised he was wearing a ring. It didn't look like a wedding ring though. I glanced at Lambo and realised he, too, was wearing a slightly similar ring.

Lambo was fifteen here, my age. He couldn't be married.

What were those rings?

Pardon me if I didn't ask. I was possibly going through trauma, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to know any more nonsense.

Instead, I simply said, ''I live in the street after Namimori Park. I'll tell you my block number later. It's a small apartment, and my father must be going mad with worry right now.''

Shamal looked at me sympathetically, the perverted look on his face gone. ''You don't live with your father, Misaki-san.''

''What? But my father?'' I asked desperately. ''Where does he live?''

Lambo and Shamal exchanged glances. I didn't like the looks on their faces. Something wasn't right, but I had to know. This concerned the person I loved most.

''What? Where is he?'' I demanded. The heat of the sun was starting to irritate me, and my annoying long hair was plastered to the back of my neck.

''Your father doesn't live anywhere, Misaki-san,'' Shamal said kindly. ''He passed away from an illness a few years ago.''

My lungs seemed to suddenly stop working. My windpipe had tightened to the point that it was agonizing.

Shamal must had seen my face, because he was suddenly walking over to me.

I don't know if he ever reached me though.

Everything had just gone overboard, _everything_, and now I realised that my father wasn't here with me anymore to deal with this together, the way we always had dealt with problems throughout my life?

Had he died peacefully, or in pain? Had my future self been with him in his last moments?

I remembered a sudden explosion of pain with my skull, causing me to cry out, and I remember gazing into the beautiful familiar light blue of the sky before it all went dark.

And I remembered no more.

_Lalala~___

_My father grinned at me, his viola resting on his shoulder expertly. _

_I grinned back, and relaxed as music began flowing melodiously from beneath his nimble fingers. _

_I closed my eyes, and opened my mouth, before singing along with the tranquil melody. _

_The notes flowed sweetly from my mouth, along with my father's skilful playing of the viola. _

_We sat together, an odd pair in the tiny run-down one-room apartment, creating the most beautiful music in my ears._

_Creating music with my best friend..._

Voices sounded from somewhere. I gradually became aware of softness and warmth around me, and a layer of the softness was draped over me snugly. It was so comfortable and soothing.

Cool air blew across my face, and I became distinctly aware of the tranquil sounds of wind chimes tinkling. Water trickled nearby.

The voices became louder.

''Shamal-san!'' A male voice was speaking angrily, but not too loudly. ''The only reason why I'm even considering not informing Kyo-san about this is because you have persuaded me not to, but please do not let me think my faith in your judgement is misplaced!''

''What Misaki-san simply needs now is rest,'' Shamal's voice was firm. ''Calling Hibari-san here while he's in the middle of a mission is unnecessary.''

''I understand, but Kyo-san will not forgive easily if he finds out he was not informed about this,'' the other male voice replied calmly. ''You know what the mistress means to him.''

_What mistress?_ I wondered dully, my mind still a sleepy haze.

''Yes, but it _is_ unnecessary. Let's not play pretend, Kusakabe-san. We cannot tell Hibari. You know why. This is about the Family's safety. Not that I care about them, but the thought of all the pretty girls there hurt… '' Shamal let out a dramatic sob. "I'm sure Misaki-san would understand."

''I know.'' The other man's voice was very somber. "But I do not like hiding her condition from Kyo-san."

Shamal let out a low chuckle. ''You think I don't know? But honestly, don't worry yourself about it for now, Kusakabe-san." His voice lowered slightly. "Besides, Hibari-san will be coming home tomorrow, won't he?''

''And you can still laugh! Kyo-san will return home expecting Misaki-san to be in one piece with her memories intact! You intend to _hide_ this from Kyo-san? That will be a feat.''

I groaned, my eyelids fluttering as I struggled to open my eyes. The image of a man's concerned face peering at me swam into view before me. There was a gigantic, neat quiff hanging from his head and his black eyes brightened when he saw that I was awake.

''Misaki-san!'' Kusakabe exclaimed, smiling down at me. ''How are you feeling? Please do not fret, you are home.''

_Home_, I realised, consisted of the long wooden walls which surrounded us, and basically a place that seemed to have come out of an old Japanese traditional movie.

Shoji doors were open at one side, and I could make out a small lake shimmering outside by a quaint little garden. So that was the where the water was trickling. The air smelt fresh and clean, with the pretty scents of flowers outside. The moonlight streamed in, although a candle was lit on the side on a small wooden table, providing more light.

''You're...'' I croaked out, struggling to make my voice coherent. ''Hibari's accomplice, aren't you? The vice-chairman of the Disciplinary Committee?''

A look of worry flitted across the man's features and he gave a small smile of assent. I noticed he was wearing a smart suit. What was this business-ish set-up?

''That was ten years ago, Misaki-san,'' Shamal's lazy voice drawled. He appeared from behind Kusakabe, a casual smile on his unshaven face and he grinned at me, before waving a small cup of sake. ''How is the little princess feeling?''

''Unprincess-like,'' I groaned, pulling myself up. My arms felt like rubber, weak and loose, and Kusakabe immediately reached out to help me, but I brushed him away hastily. This was the man who had stood while watching Hibari threaten me back in Namimori!

''Please do not push yourself, Misaki-san,'' Kusakabe urged, his arms still raised as he obviously restrained himself from helping me up.

I raised my eyebrows. He seemed quite a decent person after all. Unlike his partner.

''You're still working for Hibari ten years later?'' I demanded incredulously.

Kusakabe gave a small smile, but sadness haunted his eyes. ''You really have lost your memories, Misaki-san. But yes, my loyalty to Kyo-san is incomparable.'' He passed me a glass of water.

I stared at him, holding the glass apprehensively before taking a small sip. Coolness flooded my parched throat, and I nearly groaned in relief. ''Are you a masochist?''

Kusakabe looked startled, before taking the glass back from my hands. ''No, I am not.''

I glanced down. I was lying on a huge double bed (any normal bed was bigger than the usual couch I slept at home), the sheets pooling around my body cosily.

I let out a shriek. ''Is this _silk_?''

Kusakabe glanced carelessly at the fabric. ''Yes. ''

''This is really silk!'' I gaped, holding up the cloth in my hands, my fingers trembling. ''Oh my God! I've never got to touch this properly before! Cool!'' I grazed my palms across the smooth material, savouring the texture as it glided across my skin.

Then something struck me. I looked at Kusakabe uneasily. ''Is this yours?''

Kusakabe held an amused expression while Shamal laughed. ''No, Misaki-san, this is yours. This is your bed, the one you share with Kyo-san. Technically, this _is _his house before you moved in after marrying him.''

I let out an undignified shriek as I half-fell off the bed, my legs tangled down with the silk. I kicked off the sheets desperately as if it was poison, a contrast to how I had cradled the silk so carefully before.

"Misaki-san!" Kusakabe cried, rushing over to my side, his quiff bobbing, while stupid Shamal leered appreciatively at my underwear which was apparently exposed to him from where I lay sprawled on the other side of the bed.

I would've been mortified if not for the fact that…

"_I'm in Hibari's house?"_ I gasped, staring daggers at Kusakabe, who was crouched beside me, his pupils dilating with worry.

"Are you alright, Misaki-san?" he demanded, brushing off my question. "My God, if anything happened to you, Kyo-san would have my head. I think I really should call him here-"

"No!" I screamed, my hands fending him off wildly. Already, I could picture the tonfas sliding smoothly out of a pair of dark sleeves, glinting in the sunlight and spikes shooting out of the cold, cruel metal…

"_I'll bite you to death."_

"Misaki-san," Kusakabe said urgently, grabbing my trembling shoulders, "Please calm down and stop screaming. I promise, I won't call him here, so please calm yourself."

I finally ceased my tantrum, the fear subsiding slightly. He had said he wouldn't call Hibari. I was going to be fine… for now. My chest heaved and I clutched it, panting like I had just run a marathon.

The terror Hibari inflicted was always there whether he was present or not. I sighed heavily, trying to soothe my racing heart, before glaring at Kusakabe. "You didn't tell me I was in his bloody house!"

Kusakabe smiled gently at me. "It's also your house, you know." He glanced at Shamal, who was watching the whole scene as if it was a great show. He waved his sake cheerily, and I hastily pulled down the bottom of my dress over my legs. Kusakabe looked weary. "You still want to hide this from Kyo-san? It's impossible!"

"I can always tell him I tripped," I snapped, getting to my feet with his help, "Then he'll know that this little stupid marital game between us is _over_ because I'm not brainwashed anymore, and hell will I stay to let him torment me!"

"Misaki-san," Kusakabe pleaded, staring at me beseechingly. He lowered his head and I almost felt bad. Almost. "Please stay. He will return some time tomorrow, and you can explain things to him then."

"No way! And let him beat me up?" I demanded, shudders wracking my small body. I could feel my long, red hair sticking out everywhere like an angry bush. "I'm not _seeing_ him, you hear? That demon treated me like his punching bag since, like, the day I enrolled in Namimori Middle."

"Lambo-san will not be the only one who suffers his wrath if Hibari finds out you've lost your memories," Shamal suddenly spoke in a low voice. I started, almost forgetting he was there. The doctor sat on the tatami mat, gulping sake, but his gaze met mine steadily. "Kusakabe-san will not be left off the hook either. Or anyone Hibari can find to vent his anger on."

I gulped, struggling to swallow my guilt. It's not my fault if Hibari treats someone else as his punching bag for de-brainwashing his slave/wife! I'm just trying to protect myself. "Look," I reasoned, "This is a really, really nice house. It's seriously expensive, and I can't live with this. I'm not exactly what you guys would call rich-" Thoughts of Father coursed through my mind and I nearly doubled over with the pain.

I could feel Shamal's gaze on me as I flinched, locks of auburn hair flowing over and obscuring my face.

"Your father died peacefully in his sleep in the hospital," Kusakabe said quietly. I didn't look up at him, just continued staring at the wooden contours of the tatami mats. I had no idea how he read my mind. "You were with him to the very end, and you sang him to sleep."

_Creating music with my best friend..._

I finally straightened up, smiling wanly at the two men. The trickling of water bobbed in the background.

"Thank you," I answered simply. I made a mental note to visit Father at the Namimori cemetery the first chance I got, and prayed that my future self had visited him there regularly.

"Don't leave, Misaki-san," Kusakabe stepped forward, his suit crinkling slightly. "Please let me explain, at least."

I stared at him. "So this isn't about Lambo or all that crap you guys keep talking about to me." I felt completely dry, all my emotional tactics sucked out of me.

Shamal sighed, lifting his cup of sake and draining it all into his mouth before setting it down heavily on the tatami mat. "No, it isn't. I'm sorry we weren't frank with you. But this concerns the whole Vongola Family, and it's too important not to say."

He gestured at the space in front of me, and I slowly sat, though a huge part of me just wanted to run. I was in _Hibari's_ house, for god's sake.

But something told me I needed to know this.

Kusakabe followed suit, sitting cross-legged beside me.

"About a few months ago, a new rival family propped up," Shamal explained, pouring more sake into his little cup. "They're called the Shuri Family. When it comes to combat they're not very tough. Reasonable, but they don't hold a candle to the Vongola Family."

I simply waited in a rare moment of patience.

"We weren't really threatened by them much, until," Shamal lowered the brim of the cup from his lips, pausing, "They came up with a new technique."

"A new technique?" I asked, curious despite the situation.

"They were able to take our physical appearances," Kusakabe finally spoke grimly, his arms tightening on his knees. "It wasn't good. One of the biggest things about the Vongola Family is that we really trust each other, and while that's a strength, it's also a weakness."

I wanted to snort. Yes, we all trust each other, including Hibari.

"Are Tsuna and everyone okay?" I demanded.

Kusakabe nodded. "They're fine now. But for a while, the Vongola family fell apart. People whom we thought were comrades turned on us, being the Shuri Family in disguise, and we were truly at a losing end. We didn't even know who to attack or who not to."

"Then," Shamal said, taking up the story, "Tsunayoshi and Hibari found a loophole in their techniques."

"Wasn't their technique just illusions or something?" I asked.

Shamal looked solemn, scratching his stubble. "No, they actually _morphed_ into us. They had that ability due to their rings that their scientist created," he waved away my bewildered face, "I'll explain that later. In any case, we couldn't tell them apart after they morphed into us. It was pretty amazing. But then Tsunayoshi and Hibari spotted something about them that _could_ expose them when they morphed."

"What?" I leaned forward, but scowled when he brushed me off again.

"Basically speaking, thanks to Tsunayoshi and Hibari, we managed to see through their disguises and they fell back, having weaker combat skills than us. We kept how we saw through their technique a secret however, and it is kept only within the Vongola Family and our close relatives and allies," he pointed at himself, "like me."

"We did this to hide their loophole from them," Kusakabe replied calmly, "This way, if they don't know their own technique's loophole, they couldn't perfect it and use it on us anymore." He looked at me seriously. "You knew the secret, of course, being Hibari's wife and the ally of the Vongola Family."

I winced at being called Hibari's wife. That was something I did not want reminding of.

"Okay," I mumbled, trying to think, "And now I can't remember anything…" My eyes widened. "They'll target me if they know right?"

Shamal nodded briskly, tapping the side of his cup. "They could easily lure you with the technique by impersonating one of us and fooling you. After kidnapping you, they would demand a ransom from us…" he smiled bitterly. "I'm sure you know what the ransom would be."

"Then tell me!" I shouted, flying up. Kusakabe immediately stood up along with me, trying to pacify me. I ignored him. "If you tell me what their trick's loophole is-"

"We can't." Shamal cut me off bluntly.

I reeled back in shock, my eyes widening. Did he just-?

Deny me the weapon to defend myself?

Shamal smiled sadly at my expression. "I'm sorry, Misaki-san. The you before was someone whom we knew and loved. You were with us for ten years, and we fought together. But right now… your mentality is one of fifteen years."

"Hey!" I shouted furiously. "What's wrong with being fifteen? Lambo's fifteen!"

Yes," Shamal agreed, "But he's been trained since he was a baby. He's been _with_ us since he was a baby. But when was the time when we first met you? Oh, yes, when you were fifteen."

"You don't trust me," I deadpanned, realisation sinking.

Why did it _hurt?_

"Misaki-san," Kusakabe said gently, "It's not just that. At twenty-five you were wiser and more mature. Right now, if you would forgive me for saying so, you have a temperament of a fifteen year old despite your body. This is dangerous information. We cannot take any risks of the secret leaking out. If it does, the _whole_ Vongola Family will be in danger again when the Shuri Family perfects the technique. But please, let me assure you that you are protected, by all of us. As long as you keep up the charade of maintaining your memories, then you will be even safer."

"You musn't let Hibari know too," Shamal said, playing with the cup of his sake. I could tell, however, that he was tense by the tightening of his fingers on the cup. "He's your husband, and his behaviour changes could be noted by the Shuri Family. Anything that could be linked to letting them know you lost your memories should be avoided. Which means," he finally looked at me again, his eyes dark pools of intensity, "besides me, Kusakabe-san and Lambo, no one in the Vongola Family should know either. The less people who know the better. This way, you won't even be targeted."

I could see his point, though only through a haze of hurt. They were willing to risk sacrificing one person –namely, me- rather than the whole Vongola Family. That's why they wouldn't tell me the secret.

It was only normal, but I felt like crying.

I turned on my heel and walked off, my bare feet treading on the soft wood, my white dress whipping around my small ankles.

"Misaki-san! Where are you going?" Kusakabe exclaimed. He rushed to me, but I held a hand up to stop him.

"I need time to think," I intoned, my eyelids lowered. "I'm going to Kyoko-chan's house for the night. Don't bother waiting up for me."

I glanced back coldly, my gaze on the pair. Suddenly, I felt very, very far away from them. "_Don't worry, I won't let her know I lost my memories, if you're so worried." _I hissed.

"Misaki-san!" Kusakabe shouted, and he sounded guilty, but he didn't stop me.

I left, a tear rolling down my cheek.

**Okay, whew! This chapter has no Hibari in it, sadly, but he will definitely come out the next chapter, I swear. Woohoo, Misaki and Hibari's first meeting tyl! In her pov anyway. **

**Anyway, thank you to you reviewers, you really made my day! Here's a virtual kiss! **

**MUACK!**

**But let's save the kisses for Hibari and Misaki, eh? *winks* OK NOTHING. NO SPOILERS ALLOWED.**

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys thank you for reviewing! Thanks, KitChi, Tempesta, Hiyorin-chanx33, Guest, whitewhite, poyo0723, Prevaricator, Iricelli, and Quimmy'100. You guys are such angels and I know it's been a long time since I last updated this so please forgive me! **

* * *

I didn't go to Kyoko's house in the end.

I just sat there on a wooden bench by the large, beautiful house located across me, trying not to look at it, and stared at my drawn feet instead. I didn't know what else to do. Meeting Kyoko would equate to seeing more people from the future, and that would mean interacting with her. Right now the last thing I wanted to do was to talk to anyone from this… _era_ I certainly did not belong in; it would only bring more misery and confusion for me.

I had never felt more lost and alone than I did now. Not even when Mom died, because at least back then I had Dad. Dad's presence symbolized everything that meant comfort to me, and when he was around I knew, without question, that there was someone who cared for me and looked out for me. It was so unfair. One minute I was in a world where Dad was alive and healthy, and the next I was… here, in a place foreign to me where he was gone. And I was supposed to just accept this? I was supposed to accept the fact that my only source of constant love and support was suddenly gone, that I was supposedly some amnesiac and that the only other person I cared about had just watched me marry my worst enemy without a word? How could Dino do this? Not to mention the people I thought were my friends didn't trust me, as proven by Shamal's words.

Could I take it lying down?

I laughed softly, feeling my stupid long hair whip my cheeks against the sudden cold breeze of stinging air. Leaves twirled along in a green spiral against the yellow dim of the standing lamps and I could hear the faint laughter of the townspeople strolling nearby. Why was I even asking myself these questions? It wasn't as if I could choose my answer. If I wanted to survive, I had jolly well do what they said, because here there was no Dad to protect me, only a bunch of people who thought they knew what was best for me. Or best for them, really, because that was their main goal. Well, the truth was that I didn't want to be kidnapped anyway, and knowing that the entire Vongola Family crumbled because of me wasn't going to help my sleep at night either. If only they would just give me the secret of the loophole to the Shuri Family's impersonating trick! What did they think I would do if they told me? Run to the Shuri Family and immediately blab it to them? I didn't even know where they freaking were!

I didn't care if I looked twenty-five. I was fifteen, and I was freaking terrified. Although the Vongola Family from the future seemed pretty selfish, I knew that the Family in my time was decent. I hadn't forgotten how Tsuna had stood up for me even though he had been terrified of Hibari, and how he had tried (and failed) to stop the crazy demon from killing me. It hadn't been much, but let me tell you this, trying to save someone else from a mad demon like Hibari takes a lot of courage. If I was going to save the Family by pretending I hadn't lost my memories, it would be for the Family in my time. Well, not for Hibari and certainly not for Mukuro, but for the others.

Who would want to help Hibari anyway? That guy had made me his slave in the future! I thought about it for a while, and came to a conclusion with a resigned, sage sigh. The guy probably needed a housekeeper to tend to his huge mansion-like house, but didn't want to waste any more money hiring one (plus he detested crowding). So he had married me to beat me up and torture me as his punching bag when he felt like it, and also to force me to do his housework for free. It was totally killing two birds with one stone. See, I am pretty smart. I didn't need my stupid memories to read that guy's mind.

Powerful sleuth I might be, but the thought that I was totally imprisoned in this stupid prefect's clutches really freaked me out. How the hell had my future self taken it? It was a wonder she was still alive. I frowned. Okay, so… maybe for now I would put up with this bullshit and play along with Hibari, but right after the Shuri family's threat was gone for good I was so gonna make a dash for it and vanish from everyone's lives forever. Sounded melodramatic, I knew, but I was hoping that when I dashed I would fall down, slam my head, and then wake up to find myself in my own era where everything was sane and normal. Well, as sane as it ever would be with Hibari messing around in school, but trust me, once this whole fiasco was over, I would be more than willing to sing the National Anthem for him if that meant keeping him happy. It beat being his personal slave, anyway.

I mentally ticked the boxes in my head. Okay. I was going to keep up this charade of not losing my memories, check. I was doing this for the Family in my time, and also not to be bloody kidnapped, check. I would put up with Hibari and try to play along until the Shuri Family was gone, check. I would then run and disappear once things blew over, check. Afterwards… I would take things step by step.

The reverberating sounds of deep rumbling suddenly caught my attention, and I looked up in surprise only to shield my cringing eyes from the golden onslaught of gleaming headlights. A Mercedes purred its way out of the open towering black gates guarding the house, massive and prominent, the car's shining hood dark and otherwise blending in nicely with the ebony of the night- if not for the shining headlights piercing the air intrusively. I pursed my lips disapprovingly when Shamal stuck a long hairy arm out of his open car window and waved cheerily at me.

Stupid Shamal. He was still trying to be flashy even when he was leaving.

Not to mention the smoky exhaust of his car totally ruined the rainy, fresh scent emanating from the beautiful, tranquil garden of Hibari's house. The fountain gurgled serenely as crystal liquid trickled about within the confines of bamboo wood. Hibari might not to be a nice guy, but I did, albeit grudgingly, admire his taste in his place. I mean, I always knew Hibari enjoyed nature, judging from how he liked lying on the rooftop basking in the sunlight and having his pet bird fluttering around him, but wow. The guy really was... different from the people I knew, I guess.

I shook my head hastily, rubbing my cold arms fervently. What was I thinking? That guy was a demon. He relished the spilling of blood and the brute savagery of violence. He relished my pain.

The weirdest thing was... in that brief and abrupt moment in my head, the image of Hibari had been... a peaceful person. Like... a memory, somehow.

I must be thinking too much or the stress must had been getting to me, because _Hibari _and _peaceful_ was like Hitler and Mother Teresa. They simply did not go together.

It was after some time when Shamal's car had long disappeared out of sight and when the atmosphere was once again quiet and serene that I finally stood up from the bench, the back of the long dress sticking to where the dried sweat pooled on my thin thighs. I couldn't believe I was wearing a freaking dress. I mean, I was more of a jeans-and-shirt type of a girl. What was my future self thinking? But in all defence, I just got thrown into a dimension in the future where I was supposed to be twenty-five and married to Hibari Kyoya of all people, so what else was new?

By the time my weary feet had reached the tall, metal black gates, Kusakabe was standing there, an expectant, kind smile on his face.

* * *

I drew the long, silk haori Kusakabe had given me closer over my small frame, letting out a long, rattling breath from my icy lips. I was in Hibari's house, and I was here voluntarily. _What was I doing?_

"It's alright, Misaki-san," Kusakabe's assuring voice resounded, and I shot him a wan look from where I sat on the opposite side of the table. It was a round, timber table, elegantly positioned on the smooth wooden floor. I sat cross-legged before the table, grateful for the robe's warmth, my long dark red hair draped over my thin shoulders.

He re-appeared at the entrance of the room, holding a tray of sandwiches carefully in his hands. Suddenly, my stomach rumbled at the enticing aroma wafting from the bread. I hadn't expected myself to be so hungry, but the sight of the food sent a jolt of raw, primal ravenousness gushing through my veins. I was a little taken aback at the sensation, but was simply too caught up in it to notice anything amiss.

"Can I have one?" I demanded, not very politely, which was surprising for me, because I did have manners.

Kusakabe chuckled. "It's made for you."

The ex-vice-president of the Disciplinary Council then handed me a sandwich from the delicious looking pile on his tray, to which I wasted no time in shoving the bread into my mouth roughly, the taste of eggs coating my tongue. He looked a little alarmed as I continued cramming the food into my mouth, but simply sat down on the floor, offering me a cushion.

After making myself comfortable and swallowing three sandwiches in one go, I shot him a glance while licking my egg-and-bread-crumb stained fingers. "How did you know I like omelette sandwiches?"

Kusakabe chuckled again. Okay, that was getting annoying. I knew he was just being nice, but his chuckling made me feel he was laughing at me somehow. "You should ask Kyo-san that, since he was the one who made those sandwiches before he left for his mission."

Suddenly I felt like vomiting everything I had eaten right onto the floor. "What did you say? I just ate... _Hibari's_ food?" My body froze in horror, mouth open as the nausea persisted. The sense of fulfilment after a good meal had poofed, just like that.

"It's alright, Misaki-san!" Kusakabe seemed to realise he had said something wrong. "He made them for you."

"Okay, Kusakabe-san," I said, forcing myself to be calm. No point losing control; I had to be strong. "I want you to get the phone and start dialling. If you hurry and do it now, the ambulance might still be able to make it in time. I'm not sure how long I have left before the effects kick in, but-"

"What," Kusakabe asked, looking very confused and his quiff drooping, "Are you talking about?"

"The poison," I replied through gritted teeth, my stained hand curled in a frustrated fist. For someone who was Hibari's right-hand man, Kusakabe didn't really know his boss very well, did he? Feeding me the demon's sandwiches was already a clear indicator of how ignorant he was. "Hibari and the poison he put in the sandwiches to kill me. We need to hurry. I could die any moment now, so please get the phone, or I'll do it…"

"Misaki-san," Kusakabe said with a laugh, the bewilderment fading from his face, "Kyo-san did not poison you. He would never even think of doing that." The man looked at my far from convinced expression, then sighed and reached for a sandwich.

"Hey!" I shouted, straightening up swiftly. The haori fell from my shoulders in a crumpled pile onto the floor. "I know working for Hibari is really, uh, depressing, but we can talk things over, okay? Your life is too precious for this."

He ignored me. I watched in horror as the sandwich approached his gaping mouth, the bread fluffy and the yellow of the egg peeking out from beneath the bread crust. "Stop it!" I cried out, making a blind grab for his arm. "Don't sacrifice your life for a monster like him! It's not worth it! Don't poison yourself!"

He bit into the sandwich and chewed. And swallowed.

Oh my...

"NOOO!" I let out a horrified scream, hands wrapping my cheeks theatrically as tears pooled my eyes. "I tried to stop you, Kusakabe-san. Don't say I didn't stop you. Hibari's target was me and only me. You didn't need to join me…"

A few long minutes passed as I continued sobbing dramatically and he merely watched me weep, sighing. My wails trailed off as Kusakabe abruptly stood up from his own cross-legged position on the floor, brushing his hands off a few bread crumbs (can I say he ate far more cleanly than me?). He gave me one last pointed, meaningful look before… that's right, calmly proceeding to carry out the most complicated set of acrobats I had ever seen. Which wasn't a lot- since the most I've seen was from the Olympics on TV, a few fancy moves from Reborn when he assaulted Dino and Tsuna and not to mention the devil Hibari's agility, but hey, that counted too.

Cartwheels, somersaults in the air, and headstands, you name it. The guy sure wasn't just some dude with a fancy quiff. He knew what he was doing, and boy he was amazing. The floor creaked lightly at his moves, but not to the point that I worried. Although I did want to ask him how he could do all that without puking after he had just eaten.

A few minutes later, I was applauding as he finally stopped after his last somersault, landing neatly onto the polished floor. A slight drop of sweat was creasing his brow but otherwise he appeared just as composed as before. Smiling politely at me, he straightened his faintly wrinkled black suit and tie, his quiff perfectly in place. The man didn't even look tired!

"You're… incredible," I gasped. I don't think surprise looks too good on me, since I was pretty sure my eyes were bulging and my jaw sagging, but I was too flabbergasted to care. "Can you teach me?"

A faint look of worry crossed his face. "I don't think I should," he said carefully. "If Kyo-san allows, perhaps, but-"

"Who cares about Hibari?" I cut in, irritated. My voice quickly took on a whining pitch. "Oh, c'mon, Kusakabe-san, I'll be the best student I swear…"

"Not in your condition now," Kusakabe said kindly.

"What condition? If you're talking about me and my amnesia, I _swear _it doesn't affect my physical capabilities…"

"Anyway, do you trust me now?" Kusakabe suddenly said, smiling nervously, and I glared at his abrupt change in subject. Something was going on. What condition? I didn't know why, but something about the edgy look in his eye made me wonder. This wasn't just about me being an amnesiac, or whatever. One thing I could tell from Kusakabe was that he wasn't the type to lie. "I am not poisoned, and neither are you."

My eyes widened, and all thoughts about what Kusakabe was possibly hiding from me were gone. The guy was right. Both of us were fine so far… he'd even done the whole workout just to prove he was okay after eating the sandwich.

He looked at my obvious shock, and let out a little sigh. "You need to stop treating Kyo-san as your enemy if you want this to work, Misaki-san," he said wearily. The man sat back down onto the floor, shooting me an encouraging look. "I understand that from what you remember, Kyo-san was some sort of adversary to you. But it's very different now. At the very least, take him as an ally in the Family. Once you regain your memories, you will realise just how wrong you are to think he is a threat. Because… Kyo-san loves you very much."

If I felt like puking then, it definitely didn't compare to how I felt now. "Kusakabe-san, you do know alcohol is bad for you, right? Or drugs? Because if you've taken any of them, I highly recommend you lie down for a while."

"I am entirely sober, Misaki-san," Kusakabe assured me. He sighed again for the umpteenth time. It seemed my presence gave him more lung workout than any of his acrobatic exercises. "I thought it would be hard for you to accept it, and I was right. It's fine. Right now you are trying to fool Kyo-san into thinking that nothing is wrong with your memories, but I need to tell you this, Misaki-san, it will not be easy. Kyo-san is a very… perceptive man, not to mention exceptionally so around you."

Yeah, Hibari was one creep alright. I was starting to feel more than scared knowing the demon was exceptionally perceptive around me, as Kusakabe put it. My fingers fidgeted nervously around the edge of my retrieved robe. Why was I doing this again? Oh, right. I didn't want to be kidnapped, or let the Family who apparently didn't trust me down.

"Therefore," Kusakabe continued, "Whatever you do, please do not act… too defiantly around Kyo-san. While you are a naturally stubborn young lady even before you lost your memories, your current… animosity towards him is far too strong to be ignored. Please try to tone it down. Before you protest, please just remember this… you care a lot about him, even if you don't know it right now."

I bit my lip as I tried to stop myself from exploding. Okay, I needed to do this. This was a mission. Yes, that was what I would take this whole thing as. According to Kusakabe and his ignorance, it appeared that I seemed to care for Hibari. If that was what it appeared to people, then that was what I had to act as to fool everyone, including the Shuri Family.

_Even if it was a complete lie._

I mean, what the hell? I could never care for that monster. He had made my life an utter misery since I joined Namimori, what with his bossy behaviour and how he had attacked me relentlessly. I was nearly shaking underneath my clothes right now. I was living under the guy's roof, and that meant more assaults from the whacko. I really missed my father then, and I tried hard not to think about the traitor Dino. Thinking about Dino would only peel a bigger hole in my heart, which wasn't very whole already. Thinking about the spikes on Hibari's tonfas, I vaguely realised that my heart wasn't the only part of my body that was going to be covered in holes soon.

I didn't realise, not for some time, that the body of my future self was unblemished.

* * *

I stood in the centre of the bathroom, staring with a sort of appalled horror at the long full-body mirror stretched out before me on the wall.

Was this body even my own?

It was true I had sprouted a few centimetres during the ten years, and that was a slight consolation, since I'm a freaking tiny girl. My height had been haunting me for years, and even as an adult I was petite. Damn.

But one really bright side about this foreign body was my -you'd never guess it- boobs. I had them. I mean, that was big news, since I was nearly flat-chested. But right now, the mirror damn well wasn't lying. I had gotten them, and they weren't all that small either. But here was one scary part: they hurt.

I'm not kidding. They really hurt, and when I had been taking off my bra casually earlier, I had nearly doubled over from the pain of fabric pulling over the swollen flesh. They felt... tender and ultra-sensitive, the nipples faintly bloated. And another weird thing was how the bra had seemed... kinda small. Like, just a little tight on the boobs. Which didn't make sense. My body currently was supposed to be when I was twenty five, and when you get that old your boobs or height and stuff pretty much quit growing anymore. So how was it that my boobs' size had been a little bit too big for my future's self bra?

I shrugged. I still wasn't sure whether this whole fiasco was some screwed up dream in the first place. Half of me was mentally prepared to wake up anytime, while another half -a very big half- had already resigned myself to this hellhole.

Still, looking at my beautiful, refined surroundings, it didn't seem like a hellhole. I gazed appreciatively at the long tendrils of the remnants of curling steam around the round, but vast bathtub. When was the last time I had experienced a bath with HOT water? Like, never. The tall, enormous house was so amazingly sophisticated too, with the huge, pretty garden, and the gurgling serene lake. I peeked at the polished timber tiles beneath my toes. Inside the house was no less beautiful. While the many rooms were sparse, the small number of furniture that stood gracefully was regal and exquisite, and I had seen many paintings of beautiful, exotic calligraphy hanging from the elegant walls.

The only one thing that killed everything attractive about the house was its owner. And that apparently I was his personal slave.

Just thinking about said man made my blood chill and shivers run through my spine. Even now, I was standing in his personal bathroom. I had begged Kusakabe earlier not to make me go near Hibari's bedroom, but he had stayed stubbornly firm, stating that Hibari would be suspicious if there were no signs of me using that room at all the next day. It was my room too, he had said. In my opinion, he was being totally unreasonable. There were thousands of empty rooms all over the freaking house. I could easily take one.

Why did I have to take the one the demon occupied?

Speaking of which, what had the demon been planning if both of us actually shared his room? Personal slaves did not share rooms with their masters, sometimes they didn't even sleep. They worked and slaved away instead while their masters hurried them on sadistically with whips. Only, of course, Hibari's weapon of choice was tonfas.

I shuddered, feeling the familiar fear creep into me. My fingers tightened on the smooth edge of the basin, lips quivering. I could do this. I could do this. I was doing it for the Vongola Family.

It seemed the demon wanted to maintain his reputation, however. His reputation would surely suffer if people came to know he abused his wife. That was why he still followed protocol that we share the same room. Didn't he know that everyone had already seen through his true colours? As if Tsuna and the others could possibly wipe away their traumatic childhood memories. Still, it was the only reason I could think of.

I tried not to think of the fact that Hibari had never appeared to care about what others thought of him.

And I tried not to be even more disturbed by the fact that all the clothes I needed, including my _underclothes_, were all packed in elegantly carved drawers in the large room.

I let out a little yawn, and the sudden exhaustion that gushed through my being was every bit as intense and startling as my hunger just now. Trying to forget the torrent of troubles and sadness in my head, I made my way almost blindly to the large double bed. For once, I decided not to care that this was Hibari's bed. Not now. My legs curled over the silken blankets and I sighed contentedly against the creamy, fluffy pillows. A scent of fresh morning rain wafted past my nose, and instinctively I edged closer to the smell. It was… comforting and soothing, somehow, as if it had been a scent I was accustomed to all my life. A scent I had loved all my life.

Hastily ditching my sudden train of incomprehensible thoughts, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to fall into the ecstatic lull that was sleep. All the while, the rainy scent lingered tranquilly across my skin, almost like a Guardian angel.

* * *

**Ok. So Hibari and Misaki didn't meet in this chapter. I'm really sorry about that, I know I promised you guys that they would meet. I really tried making them meet in this chapter but everything felt so rushed when I wrote that so I deleted it. I'm so sorry, and please don't kill me! I felt that Misaki needed time to get used to being shoved to a completely foreign era plus if she's gonna act like she never lost her memories in front of people who seem like complete strangers to her- she needs to make peace within herself first and it's clear that she hasn't for the past two chapters. But honestly it's because I love this story so much that I want things in the plot to go smoothly, so please put up with me for the time being! **

**PS: On another note, has anyone realised what's up with Misaki's... condition? ;-)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay you reviewers are smart. But in order to comfort myself I would say that I'm just too obvious when I write, LOL. And yeahh, Misaki is indeed going through what you guys guessed. In any case, I won't be cruel anymore and Hibari finally appears in this chapter! **

**Thanks, ChibiCheshire, Azu-nyan, Aoi Hana, guests, Kazuki Akira, Quimmy'100, FrozenButterfly1206, Furiez, and KatoKimeka-chan. Sorry if I misspelled anyone's name. Oh, to one guest, yeah of course Hibari and Misaki did it ;P married couples do it! And to all (fellow) perverts out there, there will be more acts of doing... it… in future chapters…**

**My perverted inner Shamal will not be supressed, sadly. **

* * *

When I woke up the next morning I found a written note from Kusakabe lying outside the bedroom door. It had been a simple note saying that he was out to attend duties for the Foundation, whatever _that_ was, and that I was free to explore the house in his absence. Breakfast was prepared on the dining table outside.

I lowered the note in my hands, sighing. I wasn't sure how I felt. I was full of questions, that much was certain. Now that I was awake and after a night of surprisingly great sleep, I was ready to face a new day. First of all, what the hell was the Foundation? Couldn't Kusakabe have been considerate enough to leave an explanation in the note?

Second of all, I was now brimming with curiosity about how the other Ten Years Later people were like, and how the world had changed after this enormous time skip. I wanted to... explore. It was amazing what good sleep and bright sunlight could do to a person. I was still unhappy, but I wasn't overwhelmed with despondence anymore. I had a mission, and I was ready to begin!

Except about the Hibari thing. I wasn't sure whether I'd ever be ready for that. One thing was for certain; hard labour awaited me when he returned home, so I had better appreciate what little time I had while he wasn't around.

I began making the bed, still marvelling at the largeness of it. I mean, I could totally make blanket angels with it if I wanted. And it would still be too big. Amazing!

The rainy scent was still there, wafting along the fluffed-up pillows like a serene veil. I practically had to hold myself back from sniffing it vigorously; it smelt so nice. My head shook wildly as I struggled to clear my thoughts. Long dark red locks whipped my cheeks like trails of fire. What was I thinking? What would the demon think if he saw me sniffing his bed? Yuck!

Not to mention I had slept on it, and slept well too. I cringed.

Quickly I moved off the mattress, trying not to look at it. The bed's presence seemed to symbolize me and Hibari's... relationship status, and it freaked me out.

I refuse to be his freaking slave wife!

My gaze inevitably dropped to the ring on my twitching finger. It glimmered innocently in a sparkling cerulean blue, and the golden rays of sunlight from where it ran through the diamond's pale luminous depths only intensified its beauty. My breath hitched. Yes. The sapphire was beautiful. That much was true, but so was who it reminded me so eerily of. For Hibari had always been attractive to me, but his beauty came with lethal properties. Throughout all my life I hadn't gotten much, being poor, but I had always been taught to be wary of all things beautiful. They couldn't be trusted.

Yet somehow this ring... I wanted to tear it off, but I couldn't. Whether or not I was afraid or entranced by it, taking it off threatened to remove a very important part of me.

I clutched my forehead tightly, where the bruise lay. Here I was, with all these nonsensical thoughts again.

Hastily I made my way to what looked like the vanity. It was a small table, with a tiny round mirror perched before it on the wall. The only reason I wasn't taking off the ring, I told myself persistently, was because I needed to keep up the whole charade of my future self. Besides, I could always lie to myself and pretend that the wedding ring was Dino's.

I smiled wanly at the futility of that thought. One look at the familiar brilliant blue of the ring was enough to wash away all traces of that empty idea. My heart constricted painfully.

Wood thumped lightly against wind as I picked up the hairbrush and ran it through my thick long auburn mane. I almost wanted to cut it off, as irritated as I felt by the heavy weight lying against my back. But clearly my future self kept it long, and trimming it suddenly would only attract unwanted attention.

My nerves prickled abruptly. Was the Shuri Family watching me even as I casually went about my activities?

I shot a furtive look at the window, scanning the willowy trees and thick bushes in the unruffled garden outside, before rummaging the drawers for a proper outfit to wear aside from the stupid nightgown I was currently decked in.

Dresses... dresses... what was going on? My stupid future self seemed to be obsessed with dresses. That was all there was in the beautifully crafted drawers. Well, that, and frilly panties and bras. I blanched. Please tell me Hibari had never seen those... The humiliation would be terrible.

Making a mental note to ask Kusakabe for something other than dresses soon, I picked out a simple leaf green one, liking how it went with my red locks.

Hey, it isn't every day I actually get a wardrobe to choose from. I mean, hello? Poor girl? Me? Capiche?

I frowned. Still, it was a little weird I actually got these dresses. No way Hibari could've bought them for me. I had better remember to ask Kusakabe about them later, when he got back. In fact, that guy owed me a lot of answers about this era.

Sighing, I slipped my silk nightgown off and grabbed a random bra from the wood drawer, before hoisting it on. A wince crossed my features as the sturdy bra cups jolted the swollen, sore mounds of my breasts. I couldn't understand why they felt so oddly heavy and full. Well, it was true I've never had bigger boobs before, so maybe this was how it felt like with them. The soreness and tenderness were kinda weird though.

I shrugged, before putting on the dress carefully. It fit the slight curves of my petite body perfectly, as if it was made just for me. I simply loved the green colour of the dress, and quickly turned to the full body mirror before me. A grin creased my lips at my reflection. My thin legs bounced as I did a small twirl before the mirror, my scarlet curls flowing against the emerald folds of the dress. I looked almost... pretty.

Don't worry, I'm not narcissistic or anything. I know I'm not much of a looker, especially compared to hot babes like Mirai. My dad had always said that I look just like my mum, but she was beautiful and I'm... well, not. Sure, we both have similar features like our trademark red locks, pixie hazel eyes and tiny statures. But on her she looked beautiful and fragile. On me, however, I looked... like a plain Jane.

But staring at myself now, I actually liked it. I was still no beauty of course, but hopefully this was enough to let Dino know what he had been missing by ditching me!

Maybe the whole dress thing wasn't so bad, after all.

Glancing down, I also noticed a small collection of cosmetics gathered in a corner of the vanity. My future self used make-up?! When since did slaves use make-up? A thought struck me. But of course, nobody could marry the Hibari Kyoya unless they looked at least reasonably good. Hibari was a proud guy. Slave wife I might be, but people obviously knew about me. Certainly he wouldn't allow himself to parade about with a plain girl like me.

Scowling to myself, my good mood evaporating, I turned and headed for the door. Damn this room! Never mind its grand splendour, this place was Hibari's! This whole gigantic house was his! Why was I even happily lounging about in this area? Hibari wasn't back home yet. And until he was, I had no reason to be around. It was only wise to relish the lack of bruises while I could after all.

I was still maintaining my part of the mission, ain't it?

Pushing the large door open, I headed to the one place where the crazy mess in my life had started from; Naminori Park.

Maybe everything would end there too.

* * *

The park was packed like a really big tin of sardines.

I'm not exaggerating. Kids and their mums were everywhere, babies were crying loudly in cradles like... babies, and you could see old, bored folks staring from where they sat listlessly on the benches. Everything seemed so normal. If I tried really hard, I could almost imagine that there was nothing wrong with this world. That this wasn't a place ten years later where Kusakabe was actually a decent guy, and Lambo a total bishie.

That this wasn't a place where Hibari Kyoya lived in the same house as me.

I shivered, and tugged closely at the smooth folds of my dress. One thing was for sure; Hibari was a rich guy. That mansion-like house was already a clear indicator of that, not to mention the expensive clothing I found in the drawers. How was it fair that demons were wealthy while kind souls like me were poor? Now that I thought about it, Mother Teresa had been poor, while Hitler had been a lot richer, wasn't it? A scowl unconsciously crept up my lips.

''Hibari-oku-sama!''

So much for 'everything seemed so normal'.

I jumped, I really did. That... name which I had been addressed with was like a small knife running through my skin. It was painful, and yet at the same time it had been almost... familiar? I shook my head violently at the foreign emotion swelling within me, before turning to face whoever had called me.

It was an oldish lady, in her late forties perhaps. She looked the typical housewife, with the gaudy handbag hanging from her thin shoulder and the kindly smile on her lips. The lady looked at me expectantly, stepping forward as fresh grass crunched beneath her feet.

''Hello...'' I began hesitantly, unsure of what to say. What was my future self's relationship with her?

''Wow, how long has it been since we last met?'' She trilled cheerfully. I inwardly hoped that it wasn't a literal question. ''I feel like I haven't seen you in years!'' Okay. Thankfully not.

''Yeah,'' I said uncomfortably, a little annoyed that everyone seemed so okay with me being the demon prefect's wife. Couldn't they tell I was in terrible danger? ''Years. Haha.''

Okay, I'm not winning any Best Actress Awards here, I get it.

The woman didn't seem to notice though. ''Thank you so much for helping out at our last charity event,'' she gushed. ''All the toddlers at the hospital loved your singing. Oh, and please, help me thank your husband once more for sponsoring the event. Without his financial assistance, none of those poor little toddlers could have enjoyed it!''

It took inhumane effort for me not to gasp and to keep my eyeballs in my sockets. WHAT? WHAT? Hibari Kyoya, Best Friend Of Lucifer, had... donated money to sponsor a charity event for sickly toddlers in the hospital? Was I hearing things?

Was it my earwax playing up?

''Hibari-sama never showed up for it though,'' the woman added mournfully, oblivious to my horror, ''I myself haven't seen him in months. Well, I suppose that's just Hibari-sama's personality. He's always so aloof and mysterious. I guess that just makes him more attractive!'' She sent me a wink, clearly expecting me to agree.

I've never suffered from cardiac arrest before, but I'm pretty sure I'm not too far from experiencing it now. Firstly, there was the whole Hibari-donating-stuff thing. Secondly, this woman had called Hibari attractive. She had expected me to _like_ Hibari.

Yuck!

I mean, sure, he wasn't bad-looking (talk about an understatement) but everyone seemed to keep thinking Hibari and I were on... tolerable terms with each other. Like we could last more than a minute together without me getting beaten up.

Hibari had brainwashed the town real good.

''Uh, yeah,'' I said to her awkwardly. Time to keep up the charade. ''He, uh, hasn't been violent for one whole hour last week!'' With that, I let out an unnatural laugh.

Uh-oh. For the first time since our little meeting, the woman sent me a strange look. ''Are you alright, Hibari-oku-sama? You've been acting a little... differently.''

''Oh, it's nothing!'' I replied hastily, shooting her a fake sunny smile. ''Maybe I'm just feeling a little under the weather. Don't worry about it.''

''Oh dear,'' my companion said in concern, adjusting her handbag. ''I do hope you get well soon. Hibari-sama is going to be so worried.''

I tried not to roll my eyes, instead choosing to maintain my smile. ''I'm sure I'll be fine.''

The woman glanced carelessly at her wristwatch, before doing a double take. ''Goodness, how time has flown!'' She exclaimed anxiously, looking like a mother hen. ''I'm going to be late for my appointment. In any case, it was wonderful seeing you, Hibari-oku-sama. I do hope you will help out again for our future charity events!''

With that, she gave me a vigorous, enthusiastic wave of her hand before promptly setting off. I stared after her as she made her way cheerily along the mossy pavement of the park.

What was that all about?

Quickly I approached a nearby bench, seeking its refuge. A deep sigh rattled my lips as I sank in relief onto the strong woody surface. My small hands fidgeted wildly.

Coming to Naminori Park had only made me more confused. According to the woman -I didn't even know her name- my future self had helped out at charity events. And... Hibari had sponsored them, although true to his character, he had never showed up for it.

I snorted at my thought. True to his character? Sponsoring something to do with charity was already way out of character for him. I mean every kid in school, even the teachers, feared him. And why? Simply put, because he was ruthless and terrifying. Meanwhile, charity was all about kindness and love.

_So_ not a Hibari thing.

I scowled. Well... I wouldn't call Hibari unkind. I had seen how he took good care of his bird, and how the darn bird clearly loved him. If Hibari had it in him to care about anyone other than himself, I guess it would be the bird. Now that I thought about it... Hibari liked small animals, didn't he? I had once seen a small flock of birds trailing after him in town. He hadn't even looked irritated; if anything he actually kinda looked serene. Until he caught sight of me, that was. Then the demon had come after me. With tonfas.

I shuddered at the memory, before swiftly shoving it away into the recesses of my mind. Okay. So maybe Hibari really liked little animals. And I'm guessing he's okay with little kids too. I had never seen him beat up Lambo like he did everyone else, and I-pin had once told me that he actually accepted her Valentine's Day gift, much to my shock.

That could somewhat explain why he had provided financial assistance for the toddlers.

''Misaki-chan?''

My eyes widened at the sweet, familiar voice. The gold sunlight originally shining on my face dimmed as a figure crossed its path. Another person in my life had arrived at the scene. Was the park everyone's hot spot or what?

I gaped as the future Sasagawa Kyoko came into view.

Wow.

She had gone from already pretty to beautiful. Sure, she was no Mirai, but that didn't make her any less hot. Looking at her now long brown locks and round shimmering eyes, I wondered if the Tsuna from this era had managed to bring himself to confess to her. If not, he had lost a great girl. Well, a great woman. This Kyoko had grown taller and was definitely more feminine. She was not a teenage girl anymore, judging from the curves of her figure beneath her chiffon dress.

Saying that the change stunned me would be an understatement.

She smiled at me now, her slender figure bending slightly. I noticed a sling bag lying against her side.

''What an amazing coincidence seeing you,'' Kyoko said warmly, her smile widening radiantly. ''Are you out for a walk too?''

I blinked. The sight of the full-grown woman before me was taking time to sink into my brain. ''Hi. Uh. Yeah, I guess so.''

She grinned, and man, smiles really did look good on her. ''I'm heading to the market now, actually. Do you want to join me?''

I blinked again. Why not? It beat sitting here on the bench like a lost soul anyway. Besides, I had a feeling Kyoko could give me some of the answers I needed about this era. I just had to be careful not to let her suspect anything amiss about me, especially after what had happened with the other woman earlier. ''Sure. What are you going to buy?''

She moved aside slightly as I stood up. A squirrel scampered past, twigs bouncing. ''Nothing much, really. It's just that the tension's been getting so bad lately that I needed some air outside.''

''Tension?'' I said casually, not letting my bewilderment show. We walked along the same mossy path the charity-event-woman had taken earlier. Little kids scurried out of our way, laughing amongst themselves.

She smiled fondly at them, her now long hair fluttering against the breeze. I noticed that her smile was laced with slight melancholy. ''Yes, the tension. Well, we all know it's been getting worse since the Annual Family Meeting.''

''Oh yeah,'' I said, inwardly more confused than ever. ''The Annual Family Meeting.''

''All the Mafia Families gathering together in peace... it felt so surreal, after what happened,'' she confessed. ''I mean, it's like all the violence and bloodshed never happened before. Even though we know the Shuri Family can't do anything against us anymore, the atmosphere still felt so... ominous. You were there; you know what I mean.''

I was shocked. Kyoko knew about the Vongola Family? I had always thought Ryohei had done everything he could to hide it from her. But then again, that was all years ago. A lot of things had changed.

I looked at Kyoko carefully. It wasn't just the physical aspect of her that had changed a lot. I remembered the sadness in her smile earlier. And now, the almost imperceptible darkness in her brown orbs. She was still smiling, she was still cheerful, but these were no longer light-heartedness.

The innocent Kyoko back then was gone.

It made me feel really small right then. That my friends were no longer just my friends anymore, that they weren't my peers, but now adults. My body might physically be like them, but I wasn't. I felt like a kid in a world of grownups. Grownups that had gone through ten years of experience and violence and bloodshed, as Kyoko had put it.

If even Kyoko, the usually most innocent and cheery one among my friends, was no longer the same, then I guess I could kinda understand where Shamal and Kusakabe had been going by refusing to tell me the loophole to the Shuri Family's technique. I really was just a kid over here.

And a curious part of me wondered: Just how much had Hibari and the others matured ten years later?

Kyoko must have noticed how dispirited I was, because she quickly grasped my hand comfortingly and gave me a reassuring look. ''It's alright,'' she said softly. ''I'm sure everything will be resolved soon. Besides, the Shuri Family can't do anything to us anymore, as long as we're careful.''

She thought I was upset about the whole Family issue. And a part of me was, I guess.

''I know,'' I said. ''And, uh, the loophole to their technique, thank heavens we, er, know it.''

Okay, just because I understood where Kusakabe and Shamal were going did not mean I would move obediently with them. If I could get answers from Kyoko without her suspecting anything, I would.

To my surprise, said girl suddenly looked uncomfortable, her eyes shifting from the bustling street. We had left the park some time ago. ''This is classified information, as you know, Misaki-chan,'' she whispered. ''Why are you talking about it?''

Shit.

''Sorry,'' I mumbled, brushing flying auburn locks off my cheek.

''It's okay,'' she smiled wanly, sensing my embarrassment. ''Tsu-kun and Hibari-san were amazing though.''

Tsu-kun?! When since did _'Tsuna-kun'_ move to _'Tsu-kun'_? Had Tsuna won her over or not? I had to ask Kusakabe sooner or later before my curiosity gnawed me to death.

We strode into the busy and noisy scene of the market, where stalls stood everywhere, lining the pavements like walls. Stallholders shrieked prices over the din, and housewives flew about faster than lightning, their baskets bouncing. Now and then a car would drive past the road, and shoppers would dash for safety. The smells of fresh food wafted deliciously in the air, and I felt my mouth water.

Wow. All this had not been here ten years ago.

''It's all so lively, isn't it," Kyoko chuckled, moving to the side of the road with me as another car zoomed past. Smoky exhaust floated about. ''I've missed this so much.'' There was a note of pure longing in her voice.

I didn't notice it, however. That was because a wave of powerful hunger, the same one as yesterday, had abruptly overtaken me. I'd forgotten that I hadn't eaten the whole day today. I hadn't touched Kusakabe's breakfast, being in such a hurry to leave Hibari's house.

''Misaki-chan!''

Uh-oh. I hadn't realised I was swaying. Luckily Kyoko's slim hands shot out to support me, an expression of worry on her pretty features. ''Are you okay?''

I forced a weak grin on my face, which must have looked pretty pale. ''Yeah. I'm okay. Just a bit hungry.''

''What did you eat today?''

''Uh... nothing?'' My weak grin faltered, partly due to the nausea floating like an acidic cloud in my stomach.

''Misaki-chan! Are you crazy? It's already noon! You haven't forgotten about your condition, have you?'' Kyoko's face twisted with shock as her grip on my arm tightened. The woman's head turned to look at a nearby stall. ''We should get you something to eat before you faint.''

And that was when I realised in horror, through a haze of giddiness, that I didn't have any money. I'd completely forgotten about it when I'd left Hibari's house. Even if I had remembered, what could I do? I didn't know where to find money, where the wallets were, and I sure as hell wasn't taking Hibari's money. I did not need him to beat me up any more than he already had in the past.

''Er, Kyoko-chan,'' I said feebly, feeling more awkward than ever. ''I'm kinda broke today...''

Who was I kidding? I was probably like this every day. Did my future self even have a job? Aside from being Hibari's housekeeper and his punching bag?

I need my salary soon.

''It's okay,'' she said kindly. ''You must have forgotten to bring your wallet. I'll treat you.''

I was so hungry at that point that I was ready to kowtow to her to show my gratitude. If I didn't feel so sick, that was. ''I love you, Kyoko-chan!''

She looked taken aback, before breaking into a friendly beam. ''I haven't seen you like this ever since the Shuri Family!''

''What do you-''

It was too late. She was already heading over to a food stall. I leant against the wall, trying to rest my aching head. The bruise on my forehead was hurting again. My hands clutched my elbows tightly, willing myself not to fall over.

What _was_ this? True, I've never been the healthiest person in the world, but I'd never gotten so sick from not eating for an afternoon either. My stomach felt like it was doing Kusakabe's somersaults, and I felt so light-headed it was like I was some hovering angel.

Hibari must have done this to me! He must have bullied me to the point that my body had weakened so much! This must have been what Kusakabe and Kyoko had meant when they had mentioned my condition. I was going to kill him!

''Here.'' Kyoko's sweet voice resounded and I opened my eyes. She held out a paper bag, one hand fishing out a steaming pork bun.

''Thank you,'' I mumbled, sinking my teeth into the juicy softness of the bun. Within a few hungry bites, my throbbing head and nausea began to clear and I sighed in relief as I swallowed another mouthful. It was so hot that it was scalding my mouth and lips, but I didn't care. When you're hungry you're hungry.

''Take your time,'' Kyoko said in alarm.

''I'll pay you back the money, I promise,'' I told her, wiping my mouth and wincing at how sensitive it felt from all the scalding. Still, I felt much better. Food rocked.

''Its fine,'' she laughed. ''It's just a bun between friends. Don't worry about it.''

I wanted to hug her at that point. Kyoko was so awesome; she was totally out of Tsuna's league. He would be lucky to have her!

''What happened to your forehead, Misaki-chan?'' She suddenly asked, pointing at the band-aid plastered on my skin. It was a really small plaster beneath my fringe, something Shamal had probably done for me when I had passed out yesterday, and not too obvious.

''Oh, that,' I answered casually, finishing the last bite of my bun, still savouring its aftertaste. ''I just bumped my head yesterday. It's nothing much; barely hurts, in fact.''

I felt really guilty for lying to Kyoko, especially after how nice she had been to me, but there was nothing else I could do.

She looked concerned though. ''I hope it didn't affect the bab-''

A long, noisy sob caught our attention, cutting her off. We turned quickly in the direction of the sound, our eyes wide. It was amazing we had even heard it over the racket in the market, but there was no doubt about it-someone was crying somewhere. And really loudly too, almost like wailing.

''Let's go!'' I exclaimed. My feet were off in less than a second, not noticing Kyoko calling my name. Shoppers stared at me as I ran past them.

The whining sobs had been replaced by sniffing, but I could still hear it alright. I wove my way from the pavements where the bustling stalls stood and went deeper into the thick green bushes behind, Kyoko right on my tail.

The place behind the pavements appeared to lead to some garden-ish place. Again, I don't remember this place in my era at all.

That was when I caught sight of a bench situated beside a couple of trees, and a young woman sitting on it, looking distraught. She was staring at her hand, her eyes red and puffy.

Oh. I had sort of pictured a child crying instead of a woman. I had thought I would be finding a little kid wailing about losing his mum or something.

Kyoko had gone over and approached the distressed woman, a kind, soothing smile on her lips. ''Are you alright? Do you need any help?''

''No!'' The woman wailed despondently, tears pooling her sockets once again. ''Nothing will bring it back!''

''Bring what back?'' I asked, trying to sound as motherly as Kyoko, but failing. Whatever.

''My engagement ring!'' She bawled, with the kind of sobbing that almost rivalled Lambo's. The woman had short black hair and it was super messy, making her misery look all the more pitiful. If anything, she was so distraught that she almost seemed delirious. ''My fiancé proposed to me recently, and he gave me a gorgeous purple diamond ring!'' Her voice rose up to an octave at the word _ring_, before she babbled on. Kyoko and I exchanged looks. ''Then a couple of men turned up just now, and one of them told me that the ring my fiancé gave me wasn't what I thought it was! He said... it was... a... a _Cloud_ Ring... or something like that nonsense, and that my fiancé used to work for this... thing called the Foundation...'' Her voice cracked and sobs overtook her, face scrunching up. ''The man took it! My ring!''

I was too caught up in what I believed was righteous indignation to notice the comprehension dawning on Kyoko's face. ''Where did the men go?'' I demanded.

She let out a hiccup. ''They... drove off in a Mercedes Benz somewhere to... the left... to the next street, I think.''

I was off before Kyoko could stop me, although I could hear her shouting after me.

I know, I know. I was being stupid. Me versus a car? That was already ridiculous enough. There was no way I could catch up to a car. But a Mercedes Benz was a rare sight in the town unless you were really wealthy, and I was pretty sure I could find some witnesses to tell me where the car went. I had no phone to call the police, anyway.

There was no way I was letting this go. I mean, what the poor woman had described was blatant daylight robbery! Why hadn't the passer-byers done anything to help the lady? It was clear that all the Cloud Ring rubbish were lies! I frowned, my breaths escaping my lips in puffs as I ran. Although the word Foundation _had_ seemed familiar. Still, I didn't have much time to ponder about it. The car would probably be in another continent by then if I took my time.

Housewives nearly dropped their grocery filled baskets as I rushed by them. The crowd jolted as I struggled through the masses of people on the street, shooting them apologetic glances.

Stalls flew past my vision in a blur. A stitch was growing like a persistent dagger in my abdomen as I sped on, but I ignored it. My tired feet soon sent me out of the boisterous market, and quietness flooded my surroundings.

Okay. This was way too easy. I stopped dead in my tracks, cheeks flushed from the sprint as I panted uncontrollably.

A beautiful black Mercedes Benz was parked by an empty road. For a fleeting moment I thought of Shamal before quickly dismissing the idea. The doctor's car was a different model, and while that guy was a lecher, he wasn't a thief. Besides, it would kill him to make a lady cry, being the 'charismatic gentleman' he thought he was.

Still panting I raced towards the car, my fist raised in the air. So it was little me up against a few men.

Yeah. I'm stupid. I know.

''Come on out!'' I shouted at the tinted windows, praying that I wouldn't get kidnapped and be sent to become some prostitute. ''Give the woman her ring back, you robbers! Come out!''

I took a step back when the driver's black door clicked and abruptly opened, and...

Kusakabe came out.

He stared at me in disbelief, his eyes wide and his mouth slack. The man's perfect quiff was perched on his head as usual, not to mention the black business suit he was decked in.

But all of it only added to my shock. _Kusakabe?_ The memory of why the word Foundation had seemed so familiar to me came flooding back into my head. Of course, Kusakabe had written it in his note this morning, hadn't he? He had said he had duties to attend to for none other than the _Foundation_. Which apparently equated to robbing a bride-to-be's engagement ring.

It was all so clear now. Kusakabe was part of a robbers' organization. How _could _he? And he had seemed so decent too; the only person who understood my predicament here. I was bitterly disappointed in him. I had been wrong about him; delinquents never changed.

''What are you doing here, Misaki-san?'' He asked incredulously, and I could see equal shock reflected in his eyes.

''You have some nerve to ask me that after how I just caught you red-handed!'' I accused him hotly, breathing laboured. My green dress fluttered as I took a step forward angrily. ''Give the poor woman her ring back!''

He looked exasperated, and I badly wanted to sock him then. A robber should look guiltier after he had been caught, okay? Not exasperated like an adult stuck with some dumb kid.

Before he could respond, however, the door from the back of the car began to open. I swirled around, ready to karate-chop the leader of the robbers into oblivion. And I didn't even know Karate.

In any case, all traces of the fighting spirit in me evaporated immediately when a yellow canary flew out of the door, chirping with a serenity I did not feel. It eyed me with beady black eyes, before letting out a series of _'Misaki! Misaki_!' calls. It… knew me?

Familiar stone-cold fear plunged in the pits of my stomach as the figure of a tall, elegant man appeared before me from the car.

The first thought that struck me instantly was that he was beautiful. And he was. The silky ebony hair flowed about and framed his face like dark velvet, and I noticed that it was shorter than when I had last seen it. The features were exquisitely carved, as if designed by a Greek God itself, all angular and sharp and his skin a smooth, perfect ivory shade. Slashes of intimidating, mocking sky blue eyes seemed to stare straight into my soul, with long, sooty eyelashes fluttering faintly in the breeze.

He was dressed in a regal suit, with a hint of rich purple beneath his silk black blazer. His long, sinuous legs glided towards me with the lazy grace of a cat.

I noticed through a horrified daze that a few purple rings glimmered from the man's beautiful slender pale fingers. And on his fourth finger, a familiar cobalt sapphire ring the colour of his intense gaze shone.

It took me another few terrified seconds to see that he was lazily tossing another purple diamond ring in the air and casually catching it every now and then.

When he spoke, his deep baritone came out in a slow drawl, every word languidly yet clearly punctuated. There was an almost affectionate taunting lilt to his voice.

''Are you referring to this ring, Little One?''

The canary settled itself comfortably onto to the top of the man's head, yellow feathers brushing against the luscious raven locks. I gulped.

Hibari Kyoya was back.


End file.
